


Life Outside the Diamond

by arkadianmouse



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-11 22:00:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5643394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arkadianmouse/pseuds/arkadianmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is transferred from the Giants to the Mets where he meets Danny Williams, a brilliant pitcher. As they form the bond necessary between any pitcher and catcher, Steve can't mistake the attraction he feels for Danny, though the pressure of continuing his family legacy threatens to overwhelm him and forces him to hide his feelings. As always, however, Danny Williams has his own ideas about that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Outside the Diamond

**Author's Note:**

> This was kind of an exercise in my ability to create a successful AU with a topic I know little about, and it ended up taking so much of my time and effort and I'm... actually pretty pleased with it. This was also my first attempt at writing anything even remotely explicit. I may have taken some (read: a lot of) liberties regarding the trading of players and the route of home/away games. The spring training bits should be mostly accurate (the Mets do train in Florida and spring training starts around February). Ultimately, it's a fluff piece that features some mentions of baseball. I hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> Title, opening lines, and inspiration from Belle & Sebastian's "Piazza, New York Catcher"

 

 

> San Francisco's calling us, the Giants and Mets will play
> 
> Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?

* * *

**San Francisco, February**

* * *

 

Steve rolled his arm back at the socket and felt the taught pull of muscles. The tension wasn’t a good sign; spring training was starting next week and he’d have to take some serious precautions to avoid an injury. Maybe it was time to get Cath back on his payroll as his personal trainer. They had called the benefits part of their friends with benefits relationship off, but were still on pretty good terms. He was almost positive she would see him safely through another season.

He walked in through the sliding glass doors of the Giant’s training compound, hoping to get a few practice hours in by himself on this chilly Monday morning. As he made his way onto the field, he was surprised to see his coach there, dressed in a blue summer suit and tie. Steve raised his eyebrows at the getup.

“Got a hot date?” He asked. The coach looked over at him in surprise.

“Steve?”

“Yeah, coach?” Steve’s stomach flipped worryingly at the shock in his coach’s voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d get some practice hours in before training officially starts. Last I checked that wasn’t against the rules…”

His coach shook his head and took a step closer. “Steve, didn’t they tell you?”

Steve’s stomach was definitely roiling now. “Tell me what?”

“You’re being traded—”

Steve’s mind short-circuited, waves crashing against his battered skull the only sound he could hear. This couldn’t be happening; this was his father’s team. This was his _family’s_ team.

His coach’s mouth was still moving, and Steve snapped himself back to attention.

“We just got the memo today from upstairs. They were supposed to notify you within the hour. Turns out you’ve been in contest all throughout the off season, you really made an impression on the other teams with your averages. The suits have been on your side until now… it looks like someone big made a bid on you and we couldn’t turn it down, even if we don’t want you to go.”

“Then let me stay…” Steve started. His coach scoffed, placing a warm hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“It would kill your career to stay here when _they_ want you.”

Something about the stress in his coach’s voice made him wonder.

“Who is it, then?” Steve had to ask, even though his mouth felt like it was full of cotton. “Who wants me that badly?”

“The Mets.”

_New York?_ “The Mets?” Steve felt so very far away. The Mets were ranked… they weren’t going to go all the way this season, but they could get there one day. The Giants were too far off the radar for Steve to get them there even if he wanted.

“Son, you would be crazy to pass this up. I know the history you have on this team; hell, I was here when your father played on this field. But I know he’d want you to make it big, and you’re not going to do it here.”

The waves came back, crashing angrily. Steve hated it when people presumed what his father would think about him and where he was, but the Coach _had_ known his father well… perhaps even more than Steve really had.

And besides, this was minor leagues they were talking about here. But New York also had the Yankees, and if Steve made a big impression there…

Steve had big dreams of his family’s name in the spotlight, and this could be just the step he needed to take.

* * *

 

“Steve!” Chin Ho Kelly jogged over to him, looking distraught. It had only been a week since Steve got the news of the trade, but because spring training was upon them he had to head over to New York to sign some papers before joining the team in Florida, and that put him on a tight schedule.

Steve’s heart sank when he saw Chin. He was a good pitcher, a great one, and had shown Steve the ropes when he first joined the team. He had even known Steve’s father, but Steve didn’t hold that against him. They had formed a strong bond over their mutual homeland, which they had both been excited about. It was going to take Steve a while to adjust to his new pitcher, once he left Chin.

“I can’t believe you were gonna leave without saying goodbye, braddah,” Chin said, easy-going smile nearly betrayed by his shining eyes. He reached out a hand and Steve clasped it, pulling Chin into a hug.

“We’ll see each other again,” Steve said, an easy promise to make. He was sure their paths would cross again soon.

“We’d better,” Chin said, pulling away. “That’s not all I wanted to say though.”

Steve wrinkled his brow, curious about what was being left unsaid. Chin chuckled.

“Clearly you don’t remember how difficult you were when you first joined the team,” he said. Steve shrugged. “Well, don’t go doing the same to your new team. Make nice with the pitcher; it will save you a lot of pain.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t deny Chin had a point. “Promise me, Steve,” Chin said, reaching to shake Steve’s hand again. Steve glanced at it before taking it in his own hand.

“I promise.”

* * *

**New York, February**

* * *

 

Steve had lived in a relatively warm climate his entire life; he had grown up on Hawaii with his mother and his sister while his dad did the whole traveling with the team thing, and after her death when he was 14 he had been shipped off to Florida because apparently his father was still unwilling to give up the family legacy, even if it meant missing half a lifetime with his kids. Steve hadn’t understood at the time. He was trying to now.

This weather, though, was nowhere near warm. It was fucking _cold_. Steve had packed his warmest belongings, bought a few light jackets and sweaters for downtime, but hadn’t expected to get much use out of them with spring right around the corner. He usually ran hot, went for a run or worked in the batting cage if he was feeling a chill, never let the weather get to him. He thought he could handle New York’s weather.

He wasn’t in New York though. His plane had landed in New Jersey despite the foot of snow on the ground, and he had been driven to a small office building where men in suits had had him sign contract after contract (even though most of that was supposed to be taken care of). If it had been only slightly warmer, Steve would have thought he was in Hell, making deals with the devil.

“Thanks for taking care of that for us, Steven,” _Steve_ , he amended in his head, “Now, how about you head downstairs with us and you can meet the team?”

“They’re here?” He was a little surprised; the Mets were supposed to be in Florida right now for spring training. It was something he had been looking forward to the moment he’d stepped off the plane.

“Just a few of the ones who have family here they like to visit on their time off, when they can afford the airfare.” The man looked like he didn’t understand the concept, and Steve knew he didn’t have family. He couldn’t help wondering too, however, at these men who took their duty to both the team and their family seriously. He wondered if his dad had ever thought to do the same.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Steve boarded the elevator with the suit.

The small meeting hall downstairs was laid out with a buffet of steaming metal containers and vases of fake flowers. A few men were milling about, dressed in casual wear. There were women, too—some accompanied with small children and others in more formal wear with clipboards and clearance cards.

Steve felt his face heat a little at the thought of being introduced to so many people at once, but he knew it was either here or on the field, and at least this was a somewhat level playing ground. He let the suit—Johnson, was it?—show him around to a few of the players, and was just wrapping up when the doors to the meeting hall burst open again and a stout blonde man entered in a hurry.

Johnson sighed next to him and tugged on Steve’s arm.

“Come on,” he said. “There’s one more person you’ll need to meet.”

To Steve’s amazement, they went straight in the direction of the man who just entered. He was currently staring very angrily at his phone, mashing away at the keyboard, completely oblivious to their approach until Johnson cleared his throat.

“Can you believe it?” He said. “I come all the way back here to meet with Gracie and Rachel only lets me take her out for lunch. Lunch! Can you believe it?”

Steve felt the corner of his mouth tug up slightly at the man’s frustrations. Although the situation sounded tough, his mannerisms were—well, Steve would say adorable if it didn’t make his chest tighten in a funny way. He had an unmistakably Jersey accent which was both abrasive and intriguing, and Steve could not wait to hear more.

He would soon get just that.

“Well don’t just stand there, Johnson, was it? You came over for a reason.” The man cast a glance over at Steve and raised a thick eyebrow.

 “Mr. Williams, I’d like to introduce you to your new catcher.”

_His_? Steve thought as he felt his face grow flush. Then this must be his pitcher... Steve took another look at him.

The man did not have the typical pitcher’s body—he was a good head shorter than Steve (who, granted, was taller than most players), shoulders wide and chest equally as so. He might not be as flexible as most pitchers, but his core looked strong—Steve knew his throws would come in fast and hard.

Steve brought his eyes up and was startled to find the man narrowing his eyes in return. He must have caught Steve sizing him up.

“This guy? He’d better be able to bat better than Mendez, otherwise I don’t know why we got a new one. What’s your score?” He directed this last question at Steve.

“I’m going for .318.”

A look of interest flashed across the man’s face, and he held out his hand. “Don’t listen to this wanker, the name’s Danny. Danny Williams.” Steve bit the laugh back at the insult, the curious mixture of British vernacular and tough Jersey accent. He took the man’s hand, Danny’s strong grasp reinforcing Steve’s guess at the hardballs that would be coming his way.

“Something I picked up from my ex,” Danny said, picking up on Steve’s smirk. “Along with a beautiful baby girl.” His gruff expression turned to one beaming with pride, and Danny knew this was one of the family men Johnson had mentioned.

Steve’s chest had inexplicably fluttered at the mention of an ex, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he always did.

“I’d love to meet her sometime,” Steve spoke honestly. It was the right thing to say, as any traces of suspicion or uncertainty at Steve’s presence fled Danny’s face as they finally released their grasp on each other’s hand.

Danny’s face reddened a bit. “I was actually on my way to pick her up for lunch now, since that’s all the time it seems my ex-wife will let me have with her. Would you… would you like to tag along? I need to get to know my catcher, after all.”

Steve knew he had obligations, more team members to meet and more papers to sign. But as he opened his mouth to turn down the offer with an apology, he remembered his bond with Chin on the Giants, the promise he had made to get along with his next pitcher at the Mets. Now, he was face to face with the man he had made this promise about, and he didn’t think he’d have as much trouble fulfilling it as he thought he would. This could be the perfect opportunity to get a running start in their relationship even before they met on the field.

“Would it be cool?” He asked, unsure if it would be crossing a boundary with a man he had still only met five minutes ago.

“Sure, it will give me the chance to get to know Steve… what was your last name again?”

Steve’s heartbeat stuttered. “McGarrett.”

Danny took it in stride, grinned beautifully, to the point where it almost stopped Steve’s heart altogether. Steve felt almost flush, and he attributed it to the relief when Danny didn’t push the subject.

“Well, Steve McGarrett,” Danny said, “you ready to fall in love?”

* * *

 

Grace Williams didn’t look quite like her father, but even though Steve had only a loose acquaintance of the both of them her personality definitely came from Danny.

They met her outside a pizza joint (“Best in Jersey, let me tell you,” Danny had said), a young girl with wild brown hair accompanied by a woman with every hair in its place, a tight bun.

“Steve, this is Rachel.” She greeted them both with a crisp British air, extending polite greetings to Steve who still felt so out of place on this cold street corner.

“And this is Gracie,” Danny said proudly, swooping his daughter up in a grand hug. She giggled and Steve watched the fond smile on Rachel’s face bloom. “Gracie, this is Mr. Steve. We’ll be having lunch with him today.”

“Please have her back before five,” Rachel says to Danny. “Stan has plans with her later.”

Steve doesn’t think he’s imagining the twitch in Danny’s eyes when Rachel mentions “Stan”. He wonders at it for a moment, but then Grace turns her attentions on him.

“How do you know Danno?”

“Ah, Danno?” Steve asks, glancing up at Danny, who is engrossed in a tight conversation with Rachel.

Grace nods back at her father, clearly used to the two adults conversing that way. “That’s Danno.”

Steve huffs out a laugh. “I see. Well, I’ll be working with your dad from now on. I’m the new catcher.”

Grace’s eyes brighten, but before she can say another word, Rachel reaches down to give her a quick hug.

“See you tonight, baby,” she says, and Grace says goodbye in return.

“Who’s ready for lunch,” Danny says, clearly ready for the distraction and to have his daughter back for a while. Grace shoots her arm up excitedly. “Me!”

They enter the pizza joint and place their orders relatively quickly. Grace guilts Danny into getting a salad, and a laughing Steve orders a ham and pineapple pizza—Hawaiian style. Danny turns to him with a disgusted look, even more unbridled than the one he wore while ordering his salad.

“Pineapple on pizza? That’s just wrong.”

“I want to try it!” Grace says. “And I want fries!”

Steve doubles his order, making it two slices and two orders of fries, and pays for everyone. It’s the least he could do having practically invited himself out for lunch with these two bursts of energy.

Danny looks like he is about to argue, but he also still looks upset about his daughter ordering the “wrong” pizza. Steve takes in his (adorably) bewildered expression and smirks.

“Problem, Danno?”

Grace bursts into giggles and Danny looks taken aback, but nonetheless herds them to a table near the frosty window in silence. They take their seat and Grace pounces into conversation—another thing Steve assumes she gets from her dad.

“Did you have a Valentine, Mr. Steve?” Grace asked him, eyes sparkling. Steve recalled that Valentine’s Day was a little less than a week ago, and Grace’s excitement about it startled a smile out of him.

“Monkey, don’t be so nosy,” Danny scolded half-heartedly, though Steve felt that he could feel some interest wash off of the man as well.

“I don’t mind,” Steve said, shrugging. “To answer your question, Grace, I haven’t really had a Valentine for a while now.”

Grace considered this. “My Valentine was Max Haldwell. But he’s only eight and I’m already nine so I don’t think it will work out. But it was still nice to get a card.”

“Guess you’re luckier in love than I am,” Steve said with a smile.

“That makes two of us, babe,” Danny chuckled, swinging his arm at Steve to brush the back of his hand on Steve’s shoulder. Steve felt himself flush warm all over.

“I got you a card, Daddy!” Grace protested, and they all laughed.

“That you did, baby, that you did,” Danny turned to Steve and whispered conspiratorially, “One that was left over from the pile she gave to her classmates.”

Grace gasped loudly in mock-betrayal and was just about to defend herself when their food arrived, right on time in Steve’s opinion—Danny’s warm breath curled around his ear was the last thing Steve needed to feel at a lunch with what was essentially his new coworker and his daughter. As soon as the waitress had left, Danny turned his mouth down at Steve’s Hawaiian pizza, and then whined into his salad.

It wasn’t long into the lunch before Grace and Steve both began sneaking their French fries into Danny’s salad bowl, making the man blissfully happy.

Steve watched the man and his daughter interact, knowing that this would be his new life for the foreseeable future. He thought he could understand the feeling now.

* * *

**Florida, March**

* * *

 

Spring training had begun without a hitch, and Steve had grown close to his teammates in the span of just a week, already joking with them and commiserating about the heat. Truthfully, though, it made him feel nostalgic—he had spent some time in Florida after his mother’s passing, though he wasn’t about to tell that story to his new team. Only Chin had known about it on his old team, and even then not the full story, and even then only because he and Steve had also bonded over a childhood in golden Hawaii.

Steve stepped onto the training field one morning thinking of his mother, wondering what she might think of him if she could see him now. Since meeting Danny, he had few doubts about where the team would take him—especially after seeing the other man in action. It didn’t really feel like betrayal when he was flying this high.

“Nice,” Steve exhaled as Danny’s pitch sailed smoothly into Steve’s glove. He’d nailed the signals and delivered exactly what Steve ordered. Danny beamed brightly back at him from the pitcher’s mound.

“Lay off the heat or you’ll throw your shoulder again,” a woman’s voice rang out. Steve turned and saw a woman strolling towards them in athletic wear, her dark hair pulled up in a ponytail, sporting sunglasses to ward off the shining spring sun of Florida. Steve took a second glance and realized that he recognized her.

“Kono?” He asked, more than a little astonished.

“Howzit,” she said, her smile sharp and beautiful. She reached him at the plate and gave him a brief hug.

Danny was walking towards them as well. “You know our trainer already?” He asked. “Kono’s the best in the business, we’re lucky to have her.”

Kono looked a little flush, smiling back at the both of them. “I worked for Steve’s old team for a bit, my cuz helped me get the job straight out of school. Nepotism didn’t get me this job though,” she bragged, and lowered her sunglasses to meet Steve’s eyes. “I’m not alone in that eh, brah?”

Steve’s body bordered on tense, but he knew Kono almost as well as he knew her cousin Chin, and felt no malice in the words. He shrugged the tension off and laughed.

“Glad we’re moving up in the world, Kono. Past small kid time in Honolulu, right?”

Danny was watching them with curious eyes. Steve knew that Danny, along with the rest of the team, knew about Steve’s relationship with the Giants, his family team. Danny had never pushed the subject, though, instead focusing on building up Steve’s relationship with the new team—and with himself.

“Wait a second, wait a second,” Danny said, slowing the conversation to a stop. “Are you from Hawaii too?” He asked, directing the question at Steve.

Steve shrugged. “I lived there for a time with my mom while my dad played his seasons. Until I was about fifteen, that is, and I actually moved to Florida.”

Danny’s eyes were impossibly blue, and his mouth a straight edge. Steve waited in anticipation for his answer, before Danny breathed out a small laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Kono asked, entertained by the exchange.

“It’s nothing,” Danny said. “It’s just… that certainly explains your terrible taste in pizza.”

Steve held back a grin as Kono set about defending humanity’s right to place pineapple on pizza.

* * *

**New York, April**

* * *

 

The season began with mild fanfare, and Steve realized that he had been lucky to only receive half the attention from media junkets as a result of his trade. There were several larger players making big strides in the game, however, and he got off easy.

Still, in their opening game in New York they were pitted against the Phillies, and fans and press crews rolled into the stadium in waves. Steve watched them jostle each other for coverage or space, glad that he was nestled comfortably behind a thick black rope in the section of the stadium reserved for players. He was supposed to be warming up at the time, and yet there was something intensely fascinating about all these people who were here to see—well, in some ways, him.

“Nervous, babe?” Danny’s voice rang out, startling Steve from his reverie. A chill struck Steve but he resisted shivering. He wasn’t unnerved by Danny’s penchant for the term of endearment, but something about it had an odd effect on Steve. Either way, he was armed with a way of retaliation.

“Not at all, Danno. You?”

Danny bit back a grin and clapped a hand to Steve’s back, resting it there for a moment, heat radiating out from his thick palm. Steve’s chest clenched almost painfully, and he turned to face the other man.

“We’re gonna kill it today,” Danny said. “With that set we worked up? I have total faith in us.” Danny seemed to scan his eyes across Steve, cataloguing his reactions. Steve stood up a little straighter, readying himself for action.

“Glad to hear it, Danny,” he said with a smile. “Let’s get in there.”

Any nerves that Steve may have had bled out as they took their positions on the field. He could immediately see the scope of the field and its players and, surprisingly, was instantly reassured by what he saw. The opposing team’s batting lineup appeared strong, but their first hitter came up to the plate looking stiff. Steve figured the nerves of the first game of the season, an away game for them, might be coming into play here. He flashed a signal to Danny and, seeing the other man’s nod of approval, readied his glove for a hit.

He didn’t have to wait long, Danny’s fastball coming in hot and hard. The satisfying _thump_ of ball to padding was a signal of palpable success. Steve grinned at Danny from behind his mask. They were in business now.

The rest of the game continued at a nearly blinding pace, and as the final play began Steve felt his head spinning. They were coming out on top, and these last movements could win them everything. He flashed his hand to Danny, saw the man coil like a snake, darting his hand out at lightning speed and letting the ball slip from his fingertips easily and at the perfect moment. It was poetry, and Steve got his reward once more as the ball bounced back from the batter’s swing and landed squarely in Steve’s mitt. Cheers erupted from the stadium all around them, and Steve knew they had won.

Steve had won his very first game played with his new team—with Danny. Who was currently running at him from the pitcher’s mound, arms open wide in celebration. Steve felt his heart swell and opened his arms to receive him, the other man hitting him hard like one of his fastballs. Steve gave him a quick pat on the back and breathed in deeply, Danny’s strong scent filling his mind for one glorious second. Then, they broke apart, Steve suddenly remembering the time and place.

Whatever he thought he was feeling for Danny, this wasn’t the time to explore it. The rest of the team surrounded them, pulling him away from Danny and Danny away from him, and the moment was gone.

* * *

 

“What did you think of the game, monkey?”

Danny had invited Steve back to his room once they were back at their hotel, but their light conversation had been interrupted by the tone of the Skype program informing them both that Grace was trying to get in touch with her father. Danny whispered a quick apology to Steve, who honestly didn’t mind one bit.

“Just sit tight,” Danny had told him. “If you don’t mind seeing her again, that is.”

Steve had told him truthfully that he would love to see Grace again. He’d seen Danny lovingly speaking to his laptop on many an occasion, knowing that the man’s daughter was on the other side. It always warmed his heart, and to be invited in on the conversation felt like a step in a direction that Steve definitely wanted to be traveling in.

“You were amazing Danno!” Grace’s excited voice rang through the speakers of the laptop. “You too, Mr. Steve!” She said, clearly noticing Steve sitting in the background. He waved politely and gave her a big smile.

“Thanks Miss Gracie.”

Her giggle was heartwarming, and Danny flashed him a big grin. Steve’s heartbeat quickened, but he quickly shook it off.

“What did Mommy say about coming to the next game?” Danny was asking, and Steve could see Grace’s image on the screen shift in her seat.

“I want to Danno, but she says Stan has another conference,” Grace looked upset, but her voice never wavered, as though she were the parent and Danny—Steve looked at the man’s clenched fist on the table—as though Danny were the child.

“Gracie,” Steve said suddenly. “What if next time we have a home game, me and Danno come pick you up and we can get ice cream before the game. If your mom can’t make it, I’ll have my friend Kono sit with you in the special box that our bosses reserve for us—you’ve been in it before, right?”

Grace nodded excitedly. “I’d love that, Uncle Steve!” She gasped a little at the address and blushed a bright pink. Steve chuckled, risking a glance over at Danny. The other man also looked pink and pleased, and Steve was glad that he hadn’t overstepped any boundary here.

“Looking forward to it, Gracie,” Steve said, waving at her. “I’ll let you have some one-on-one time with your dad now, okay?”

“I like him, Danno,” Grace said, just as the door was closing behind Steve.

He didn’t stick around to hear Danny’s answer.

* * *

**Los Angeles, May**

* * *

 

The Dodgers were huge. Steve had played them once before, but had lost—so close to his home field, too. This time, though, he had a new home, a new team. He was ready.

He had stepped behind home and surveyed the bases—his team looked good, could push back farther next inning if something went south at the start. With Danny at the mound, though, Steve didn’t think it would. Steve’s eyes flicked over their opponents, then back to Danny. The wind rustled Danny’s slick hair, but the man didn’t move an inch, wound tightly, ready for Steve’s call. Steve signed a quick play at him and readied himself, sure that Danny’s pitch would speed right past the batter and into his glove.

A whistle, a thump, a sharp pressure in his hand and he closed his mitt, the hint of a sting buzzing against his palm. _Jesus_ , what power. His blood thrummed in his veins as he stood and threw the ball back to Danny. The ump called the strike.

They went on like that, Danny’s pitches hitting his glove, occasionally getting bunted away by the batter. This was a strong team, after all. Steve told himself they were doing well—and they were. So what if he didn’t get to feel Danny’s strong arm in every pitch of the game. He hadn’t made a bad call yet, despite this lingering tension that he could feel building every time he and Danny touched mitts in the dugout, praising each other for their plays.

They won. The game went into extra innings, but they still won swiftly and surely. The team erupted into celebration at the call—this was one they had been expected to lose. Steve couldn’t help the grin blossoming on his face. The talking heads hadn’t predicted Steve-and-Danno to come out in full force this game. He locked eyes with Danny across the sea of celebrating players. No doubt, they could expect a lot more in the future.

“Congratulations,” Steve said, when Danny finally made his way over. His voice came out husky and a little out of breath. Danny’s smile was sharp enough to draw blood.

“It’s all you, babe. Couldn’t have done it without you,” he said, and his gaze flicked downward knowingly, as if Steve was flashing signals from his crotch like they were still in the game. Steve’s blood ran warm. Maybe that was what was happening after all.

“Danno—” he started, and Danny simply took his arm, palm nearly damp and crushingly hot.

“Let’s get out of here, Steve.”

* * *

 

They made it back to their hotel in relative silence—relative, because he was with Danno, and the man was still excited and flushed from the win. In the cab, he had even whipped out his phone to make a quick phone call to Grace, and Steve couldn’t help the fond smile on his face as he zoned in and out of the conversation. Whatever was happening here between him and Danny, however fast it made his heart race, was always going to come second to Danny and Grace. He didn’t mind for a moment.

They took the elevator up to the floor of the hotel that had been rented out for the team and their various officers, standing barely a foot apart and still too far away for Steve’s liking. Still, he told himself, he didn’t know where this was going.

“Well,” Steve said as the doors opened, knowing that his room was one way down the hall and Danny’s was another.

“Well?” Danny asked with that smart turn of his mouth, nodding his head back and turning in the direction of his own room. Steve followed willingly. As Danny passed the keycard through the door to unlock his room, Steve found himself swaying in his direction, unsteady from exertion, excitement, and nearly intoxicated just from Danny’s _scent_.

They had changed out of their uniforms before catching a taxi, but had foregone any semblance of a shower. Steve and Danny were both used to reeking from practices and games, but there was something else to Danny now that Steve couldn’t resist. Danny peeked back at him as he opened the door and grinned.

“Mind the mess,” he said, and Steve laughed, instantly put at ease. Danny had the habit of unpacking the moment he got into a hotel room, but once everything was out of the suitcases it rarely made its way into any drawer or closet. Steve stepped over a “World’s Best Dad” shirt, and cheesy as it was, felt his heart swell to big for his chest. Danny stood in the center of the room, near the bed, and waited for Steve to advance further in. Steve felt himself pause though, overwhelmed, unsure of what the next step here was.

“Steven,” Danny said, pointing to the spot in front of him. Steve finally took a step, and then another, and found himself crowding Danny once more, gazing down at the other man’s face, reading—displeasure? He almost startled back, but Danny grabbed him by the shirt collar, pulling him down, and Steve saw the mockery for what it was.

“So goddamn tall,” Danny whispered, breath hot against Steve’s lips, and then they were kissing, mouths locked miraculously together. Steve moaned at the sensation, and Danny swiped his tongue against his parted lips, an incredible wetness and warmth that Steve never wanted to go away.

Inevitably, though, it did, and as Danny pulled back Steve grasped his waist, pulling him in. Their hips jutted against each other and Steve gasped, realizing how hard they both were.

“Danno,” he said softly, and Danny groaned, the noise shockingly loud in the quiet room. Steve would have expected nothing less from the man, though.

“Steve, should we talk about this?” Danny said, but Steve thought they were a little past the point of talking, would so much rather rely on movement from here on out. Still, he retreated a little and rested his forehead on Danny’s thick shoulder, breathing in the scent of sweat and Danny’s own sharpness.

“I suppose it’s obvious, but I really like you,” Danny was saying. “I don’t know if you’ve felt it too, but after this game and everything we did tonight, I thought I’d take the chance. I know I have a daughter, and I’m divorced, and you’re probably straight, and above all I really don’t want to mess up this partnership—”

Steve was startled out of his reverie at these words, and he locked eyes with Danny. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’ve been head over heels for you since the start. I was sure I was being so obvious… I thought you knew.”

Danny’s face was flushed. “Well, apparently I’m better at this then I remember. I thought for sure I was going to have to woo you. It took me at least three months to lock down Rachel for a first date.”

Steve examined his face, leaned in tentatively. “Danno,” he said, pressing his mouth to Danny’s neck, “don’t talk about Rachel.”

Danny hissed as Steve brushed his teeth across his neck, then replaced them with his soft tongue, tasting the salt that remained from the sweat of the game, of their victory. 

“Sure thing, Steve, it’s just—” Danny palmed at Steve’s chin and moved him up so they could lock eyes again. “How far do you want to go?”

Steve felt displaced again, sure that he was in a waking dream. He felt Danny’s cock press against his again through their jeans, and stuttered unconsciously against them to get some delicious friction. Both men moaned at the sensation, and Steve laughed breathlessly.

“This,” he said, and maneuvered them to the bed, shedding a few layers of clothing as he did so, still kissing Danny whenever he had the chance.

 “God, Steve,” Danny breathed against his mouth, the air collecting between them hot and sweet. He reached for a drawer on the bedside table and Steve was only a little surprised to watch him pull out a condom and some lube. Danny set them on the table and pressed his hands to Steve’s bare stomach.

“What do you want, babe?” Danny asked, lips hovering just over Steve’s jugular. He shivered lightly as Danny’s hands traveled down, under the waistband of his boxers.

“I want you to fuck me,” he said, his voice unwavering. There was no denying himself now; this was what their relationship had been building to these past months. Their trust on the field, their flirtatious bickering outside the diamond, Steve’s miserable attempt to hide his sexuality from his teammates and from himself—this was where it had led him, into Danny’s open arms.

Steve closed his eyes as Danny’s hand, wet and cold with lube, reached the cleft of his ass and pushed downward. He felt his breath catch in his throat as something altogether foreign entered him, just a careful probing finger, and Danny quickly withdrew and placed a warm hand on Steve’s quivering abdomen.

“Relax, babe,” his voice was soothing and Steve opened his eyes with a grin, pulling Danny down into a passionate kiss. “You still want to do this?” Danny asked as he pulled away. Steve’s mind was numb with the electricity of Danny’s touch, but he nodded enthusiastically.

“Hell, yes,” he said, reaching down to take off his boxers altogether and spreading his legs so wide he could feel the stretch of muscles in his groin, his cock a heavy weight on his stomach, everything hot and pleasant under Danny’s admiring look.

“Jesus, Steve,” Danny whispered, the quietest Steve had ever heard him. Steve grinned and reached up to unfasten the belt to Danny’s pants, tugging them down and the boxers with them. Danny’s cock was thick and hard and already leaking, and Steve wanted nothing more than to take it in his mouth—or have it in him some other way. He wrapped a steady hand around it and rolled the condom on with the other, Danny mumbling words of encouragement as Steve lowered himself back onto the bed, back into the position he knew Danny liked.

But Danny shook his head and placed his hand back on Steve’s abdomen, tantalizingly close to Steve’s own aching cock. For a sickening moment, Steve thought he had made a mistake, that Danny didn’t want this as much as Steve did. But Danny was quick to explain himself.

“You should be on your stomach for this first time,” Danny said. “It makes it much easier, believe me.”

Steve wasn’t sure how much he liked that; he wanted to see Danny as he fucked him. But as Danny guided him onto his knees, placing a pillow beneath his elbows, Steve had to admit that he felt much more open this way, more ready to have Danny’s cock inside him. Danny pinched Steve’s side and Steve kicked back at him, laughing, when Danny’s fingers entered him again.

Steve groaned loudly, expecting the pain. He had tested this out on himself before, but he never imagined he would reach the point in his life where he would be able to do this with another man. His anxiety over his sexuality had kept this from him for so long, and as Danny spread him open with a second, then a third finger, Steve felt that he could almost cry. He had been so blind to the love he could share with men; with this man especially.

Danny worked his fingers in deeper, faster, and just as Steve thought he was about to pull them out he brushed something deep within Steve that made his vision go white. He gasped loudly, pitching forward onto the pillow, and as he heard Danny’s low chuckle he could almost see the man’s smirk in his head.

“Are you ready for more?” Danny asked, sounding so much closer than Steve expected. He resumed his position on his elbows and tried to look back to gauge the expression on Danny’s face, before nodding.

“God, yeah,” he said, and the next moment Danny’s cock was in him, stretching him until he was painfully full. Steve made a noise as Danny slipped all the way in, and the other man hesitated a moment, burning hands gripping the sides of Steve’s hips in preparation. Steve adjusted to the fullness in his body, before he could take it no longer. “ _Move_ ,” he hissed, and with a stuttering movement of his hips, Danny coiled back before slamming in again.

Steve moaned at the impact of Danny’s hips on his ass, over and over again. His own cock was wet, untouched, but even so he knew he would get off in only a matter of moments. This was the most turned on he’d ever been, and he felt so full, both with Danny’s cock and his own unnamed feelings for the man.

He reached a hand back blindly and found Danny’s hand on his hip, stroked it as Danny, fumbling, grasped it in his strong grip. The shift in Danny’s position caused his cock to jut against the spot in Steve’s body that had brought him so much pleasure before, and as he pounded almost painfully against it Steve’s cock could take no more. He came with a low moan, strings of cum leaking out onto the bedsheets. He didn’t realize it, but he must have instinctively clenched around Danny’s cock, because in the background of his orgasm he could hear Danny’s own moans of pleasure, before something hot filled him up from the inside. His face grew warm as he realized that Danny had just cum as well.

“ _Babe_ ,” Danny said, stroking his hands down Steve’s sides. Danny’s cock twitched inside Steve once more, before he pulled it out. Steve ached when it left him, and he collapsed on his side, more warmth leaving him as Danny got up from the bed to dispose of the condom and get a few tissues from the bathroom to clean them up. Steve huffed out a content breath as Danny returned and turned down the top sheet, before joining Steve under the covers and wrapping his arms around him. Steve found himself pressed against Danny’s warm body and he nuzzled the soft hair of Danny’s chest cautiously. Danny breathed out a laugh and readjusted them so he could capture Steve’s mouth in a kiss.

“Don’t you dare make any pitcher/catcher jokes,” Danny warned, and Steve breathed a laugh into his chest.

“I think those’d be at my expense,” Steve said. “You might want to save those for yourself next time.”

Danny was quiet for a moment, and Steve grew worried. He looked up to find Danny biting his lip, the edges turned up into a smile. “Next time, babe?”

Steve thought about it, met Danny’s questioning gaze with a fond one. “Next time.”

They lay like that for a while, feeling the other’s breath rise and fall. Steve nestled his head between Danny’s powerful shoulder and his neck, blowing a raspberry into it when Danny wrapped his arms around him and teasingly ran his fingers down Steve’s sides. They laughed for a while before eventually falling back into their haze, and Steve was almost lulled to sleep when Danny spoke.

“Hey,” he said, so quietly Steve almost didn’t catch it.

“What is it?” he said, opening his eyes and rising to meet Danny’s eyes.

“I was just thinking…”

“Dangerous.”

“Shut _up_. I was just thinking…”

Steve shifted again, waiting for this revelation, when Danny spoke again, his voice soft and thoughtful.

“You’re dad wasn’t a catcher.”

“No,” Steve said, insides tightening. He trusted Danny, though. He wouldn’t shy away from this conversation. “He was a good batter, though. Still, I’m better.” He tried to laugh at the joke but it froze bitterly in his throat.

Danny didn’t laugh either. He still looked curious, running his hands in soothing trails across Steve’s chest. “Why did you choose baseball?”

Steve thought of the answers he’s told past partners, told reporters and scouts: that he loves the game; that it was always his destiny, to carry on the family’s legacy. None of it felt genuine here, with Danny beside him.

“Why did you?”

Danny chuckled, but didn’t accuse him of dodging the question. “I grew up in a big family, in a rough part of Jersey. It was pretty easy to slip through the cracks and get into trouble there. But my brother, Matty, would bring me to this lot where the older kids would play baseball, and we would stay there until my Ma came back from work and called us in for dinner. I didn’t realize until later just how bad a part of town we lived in, until about half of those kids got into trouble they just couldn’t avoid. Some of them even joined the mob, or other gangs. But baseball kept me out of trouble, even got me into college, and it was something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.”

Steve felt like there was an ‘until’ tacked on to that sentence, but he was afraid to ask. “Where’s Matty now?”

He saw Danny work his throat as though something had stopped it up. “He’s… gone.”

“Oh,” Steve said. He didn’t say ‘sorry’. He knew from experience how insincere ‘sorry’ felt sometimes.

“It happens to everyone someday, I guess.” Danny ran a hand over his face. “I got sisters to look out for still, and my Ma’s still around…” His eyes brightened. “And now I have Gracie, which makes me the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.”

Steve smiled, warmed by Danny’s affection for Grace, but it still felt tight. Danny looked over at him.

“You got siblings?”

“A sister.” Mary. He wondered where Mary was now, if he should call her, especially after the story Danny just shared. But in the light of Danny’s love for his family, their sibling bond would pale in comparison.

“Just a sister?”

“Yeah.”

Danny nodded, seemed to leave it at that, though Steve could almost feel the tension of curiosity under his skin.

“My mother died when I was young,” he added. He didn’t mind throwing Danny this bone; he had long since made peace with his mother’s death. She was the kindest woman he had ever known, with a heart so bright it had touched everyone she had ever met. When she died, more people showed up at their house than Steve had ever seen in his life, bearing casseroles and long hand-written condolence cards. It had been a sudden illness, but Steve had been there at the end, and she had squeezed his hand just before she left, told everyone around her that she loved them, even the nurses in the room holding back tears so they could do their job.

Steve told Danny all of this with a fond smile, Danny returning the expression in kind.

“She sounds wonderful,” he said.

“She was. After she was gone—” he shook his head. He may have made peace with her death, but the events following it, his father’s actions, the distance between them all that had grown and decayed into something bitter until he and Mary were reunited at his funeral—those were the memories that left the sour taste in his mouth.

“Hey,” Danny said again, squeezing his hand. Steve was pulled back into the present, felt Danny’s body pressed against his, and smiled.

He leaned over and pressed his lips to Danny’s, that wide mouth opening immediately and responding generously to Steve’s movements.

“It’s okay now,” Steve said, and for the first time in a long time he really believed that.

* * *

**Pittsburg, June**

* * *

 

Steve was watching Danny pitch, hot from the long afternoon in the batting cage. They had one more game in the Pennsylvania before they were heading down to Atlanta, and though the temperature here was hitting record highs Steve knew it would be nothing compared to the sweltering climate of Georgia in summer. Still, Steve was hot enough that he had pulled off his shirt and was now leaning against the short fence post sanctioning off the dugout from the field. He saw Danny glance his way with a blinding grin, and flashed one in return. He had just set about refilling his water bottle from the cooler, when a loud thud and a sharp yelp of pain brought his attention back to the field.

Danny had thrown a wild ball that had caught Gunner in the shoulder, and the man was furious for it. Gunner had always had a hot temper, and something like this happening in the overbearing midday sun wasn’t helping his mood.

Two of the batters near home plate went over to check on Gunner, and Steve made his way to the mound. Danny wore a grimace and was running the back of his hand over his temple to clear off the sweat and the grime, but he seemed fine.

“What happened?” Steve asked, just to be on the safe side.

“Wasn’t my fault,” Danny grumbled, and then he added with an earnest look at Steve, “you would have caught it.”

Steve wished he could have kissed Danny, but they hadn’t done so since that night a few weeks ago. They’d been in close quarters with the rest of the guys, and even if Danny was fine with everyone knowing about his sexuality, Steve wasn’t sure if he was there yet. It kept him up at night, wondering if he could have his dreams of baseball grandeur fulfilled with Danny at his side, or if he’d have to sacrifice one for the other.

“You sure you’re good?” He asked, settling for a squeeze of Danny’s shoulder. The man nodded and beamed easily at Steve.

“I’d be lying if I said my knee didn’t twinge a little on that last throw, but I’m sure it’s nothing. Like I said, if he had been a better catcher he would have been able to catch that.”

Steve worried his lip a little at the mention of pain, but he trusted Danny to know his body. With one last pat to the shoulder, he jogged back to the dugout, and struck up a conversation with Assistant Coach Alvarez about tomorrow’s batting order.

When he heard the yelp-thud combo this time around, he turned to the field with a grin, sure that he would see Gunner nursing another blow to the ego. When he saw Gunner running to the mound, instead, his stomach turned and he let his eyes track to where Danny was.

Or where Danny should have been. Instead, Danny was on the ground a little to the side of the mound, clutching his knee and moaning loudly in pain.

“Danny!” Steve shouted, shooting up from his seat and running across the field to where Danny lay.

Gunner was already there, of course, whipping out his phone and dialing what Steve hoped was emergency services. When Gunner told them an ambulance was on its way, Steve thanked the man for dropping his stupid rivalry with Danny for once and doing the right thing—though not with those exact words. Then, he turned his attention to Danny.

His eyes were shot wide with pain and adrenaline, and he was reaching down helplessly to grasp at a knee he didn’t dare touch because of the pain. The knee was bruised and swollen but there were no abrasions or wounds, so Steve was sure that no bones had broken. He remembered Danny’s comment earlier and guessed at a torn ACL. He felt a little sick—those could take a while to recover from, could even push somebody out of the game altogether.

Danny was gasping around the pain, trying to speak, telling Steve it was alright, but Steve could barely hear over the waves in his head, whispering all the ways this could destroy Danny, could destroy Steve. Danny must have realized this, because all of a sudden Steve felt a tightening around his hand, and saw Danny smiling blurrily up at him. He almost reached down, to stroke the hair off Danny’s forehead, to press his own to it, but a hand on his shoulder pulled him away. He almost reacted violently, needing to get back to Danny’s side, when he registered the paramedic’s uniform and steadied himself.

Danny was still looking at him as he was lifted onto the paramedic’s stretcher, the hints of a smile found in between the grimaces and cries of pain. They rushed him to the ambulance, which was almost on the field, and the doors were closed before Steve could even think of following.

* * *

 

It is a tear, of some ligament in the knee that Steve can’t seem to recall, because every time the doctor gives him an update, concern overwhelms him to the point where everything she says becomes white noise.

He had volunteered to be here and text the team with updates, but he believes the team would have pushed him here anyway. He had seen the looks in their faces, even as he watched the ambulance drive away, and he knew that they knew what he felt for Danny.

And he knew that they respected and cared for Steve and Danny all the same.

He really could not think about that now, though, not with Danny on the other side of some sanitized white walls. He regained focus on what the doctor was telling him, heart beating faster at the word ‘surgery,’ and slowing as she stated the accelerated recovery time Danny’s health and schedule would allow for.

Six to eight weeks. A little less than two months. Danny would be out of the game for a while, but he would be back before the season ended.

His breathing evened out as the doctor began to tuck away her clipboard, and he was able to catch the last thing she said to him: “Visiting hours will start soon and we’ll let you and his family in to see him.”

The thought of seeing Danny finally after hours of waiting threatened to overwhelm, but Steve suddenly remembered that he was not alone in his affection for Danny. No doubt Rachel was high on his emergency contact list, and might even be on her way out to bring Grace to see Danny. Whatever his thoughts were on Rachel, he really hoped that would be the case. He knew Danny would be aching to see his little girl in a moment like this.

He closed his eyes, only to open them what seemed like a second later to the sound of frantic—albeit small—footsteps coming down the hallway for him. He rolled his head over and saw a familiar face—Gracie, running full steam ahead for his post right outside Danny’s hospital room.

“Steve!” she shouted, excitement at recognizing him still tinged with childlike concern. If this situation was overwhelming for Steve, he could only imagine what Grace might be feeling now.

“Hey, Gracie,” he said warmly, trying not to betray his own nerves. He looked up and saw Rachel stepping down the sanitized hall in heels, another man beside her. He bit his lip. Surely this was Rachel’s new husband Stan, who Danny had been so up in arms about just weeks ago… this could spell trouble.

“Can we see Danno now?” Grace was asking as Rachel stepped up with… Stan, this was definitely Stan.

“I’m not sure, the nurse said…”

“Visiting hours started a few minutes ago,” Rachel said softly, and Steve told himself she was just trying to help. “We should be able to go in.”

“Right, I’ll let you…”

Rachel placed her hand on Steve’s shoulder lightly, her smile supportive. “Come with us,” she said.

“Yeah, come with us Steve!” Grace said, looping her small hand around his rugged one and pulling him out of the chair with all her strength. Steve went easily, the smile coming to his face easily as they all went through the doors.

“Danno!” Grace was the first one to rush to Danny’s bedside, her voice still trembling with concern and over-excitement at seeing her dad in person again. Danny’s smile was wide and comforting as he held Grace tightly, stroking her hair. Steve’s heart felt like it was caught in a vice, and he wondered at the love between Grace and Danny that was so different from what he had with his father. He shook his head—now was not the time for this. He stepped forward cautiously and took a place on the other side of Danny’s bed. Still embracing his daughter, Danny looked up at him and gave him a watery smile.

“Danno,” Steve said, reaching for the man’s shoulder. He gave it a reassuring squeeze, and Danny relaxed into the hold.

“What do the doctors say?” Rachel asks, and Danny glances up sharply, gaze tightening when he sees the third man in the room.

“Just a sprain,” he says, playing it up for his daughter. Steve remembers the pain that was evident in his face on the diamond, though. He wishes he didn’t, but he does. “A little R.I.C.E. and I’ll be all better.”

“Rice?” Grace says, looking up and scrunching her nose. “Rice can’t heal knees.”

“Oh yes it can, monkey,” Danny says. “This is special rice, made only in hospitals. The doctors assure me it will make me all better in just a few weeks.”

“Actually, Grace,” Stan speaks up. “R.I.C.E. stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Those four things should make your dad’s knee feel all better.”

Grace nods her head with a serious expression on her face. Danny and Steve share a look, but Steve can see Danny let the intrusion go. There are more important things to be discussed here.

“So, Gracie,” Danny says, working to change the subject. “Did you see anything fun on the drive down here?”

* * *

 

Later, when Grace, Rachel, and Stan leave to find a hotel someone in the area, Steve finally takes a seat on the side of Danny’s bed, careful not to jostle the injured knee. Danny’s expression is warm even in the harsh light of the hospital room, and Steve leans carefully in to press his forehead to Danny’s.

“Thank god,” he says. “I was so scared.”

He thinks he can feel Danny blink, but he has his eyes closed so he can’t check.

“Scared of what?” Danny says after a while. “I wasn’t gonna die, babe.”

Steve shakes his head. God, that had never even crossed his mind. Should it have? “I was… I didn’t want to be left on the field alone.”

Danny’s hands pushed at his shoulders and Steve let himself be guided back. He opened his eyes and was startled to find Danny looking so cross.

“You were really only thinking of the game? You were afraid you wouldn’t have your pitcher there to throw you fast balls, to win you games? Is that all I am to you?”

Danny didn’t sound angry, didn’t sound sad. Just tired. Steve looked away.

“Not at all, Danny. You should know that.”

Danny scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck, Steve, I know. I’m sorry. But baseball isn’t all my life is, you know. That’s reserved for Grace. And… and you, I suppose.”

Steve’s smile is shaky. “I don’t have Grace, but I do have you. You mean more to me than baseball, Danno. Don’t think that you don’t.”

“So if I left the game, you’d still want me?” The tone was joking, but Steve felt pressure behind the words.

He took Danny’s hands in his. “Shit, Danno. I’d never leave your side. I love you.”

Danny’s laugh was riotous. Steve bristled. “Babe, babe,” Danny said, pulling Steve down to his level. “I love you too. God, Steve,” a kiss. “I really do.”

Steve let their mouths meld together for a few moments, before pulling back. “Now, Danno, about the season—”

Danny groaned and leaned back with a smile, and let Steve release his nervous energy by outlining his plan for the rough weeks ahead of them with the backup pitcher.

* * *

**Chicago, August**

* * *

 

Things went well for a long while. The backup pitcher followed his instructions well, and Danny trained him from the sidelines, improving everyday right alongside the team. They lost a few games, they won significantly more, and they were right on track for one of their best seasons yet.

On a personal level, Danny and Steve proved flawless. Sure, they bickered “like an old married couple,” according to the team and, embarrassingly, Rachel on one occasion, but they always made up—and made up well.

Danny’s return fell in late August, with the Mets set to play the Cubs. It would be a tight game, but the team was confident they would come out on top, especially with Danny returning. The day of the game, however, Steve could not help but worry.

Danny had obviously been improving for quite some time, and they had practiced exchanges and signals until they felt dizzy with exhaustion, but Danny hadn’t been up on the mound in a game setting for well over a month and a half. Steve could prepare him for a lot, but everything felt different in that environment, and there was no telling how Danny’s injury might change even the simplest of motions. He knew that Danny could sense this anxiety, and it bothered him.

“Will you let up, babe?” He said, as they were suiting up. “I’ve been on the mound since you were a twinkle in your father’s eye.”

Steve chuckled at that. “That’s highly debatable.”

Danny twisted his mouth. “Bite me.”

“Later.”

The game didn’t even go into extra innings. Steve felt it the moment Danny stepped up on the mound—he stood differently than he used to, favoring the wrong leg. Nothing could be done about it—he might not even be conscious he was doing it, and there was no telling how he would react if Steve tried to change it. Steve fit his signals accordingly, and it worked.

In the end, Danny wasn’t the problem—could never have been the problem, he was stellar even coming off of an injury. Steve made some bad calls, the rest of the team fell into their own personal pitfalls—it was just a bad game. And so they lost.

Danny reacted viciously. Steve trailed him back to the hotel, a quiet ear for Danny’s ranting anger. Danny blamed himself, mostly, but threw in a few jabs at the others, even Steve, and even took down some of the other team’s players mercilessly in this imagined fight. Steve maneuvered him to the room they shared (technically Steve’s, though Danny still had a room of his own because management didn’t know the specifics of their relationship yet, thank God) and eased him onto the bed.

Danny’s mouth motored on, and Steve knelt in front of him, taking off Danny’s shoes and loosening his collar.

“Danny,” he said in a soothing voice. Danny’s eyes caught his and they were piercingly sharp, but Steve stood his ground. “Tonight was no one’s fault. This happens. This happened without you, and tonight it happened with you. We lost. It’s okay.”

Danny pressed his lips tightly together. Steve cocked his head, waiting for his answer.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Danny leaned forward, resting his head in his hands.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like that. The team was supposed to need me. You were supposed to need me.”

Steve knew this feeling well, the feeling that everything on a team was replaceable. Hell, he had been replaced not eight months ago by the team his family legacy had rested on. He knew.

“Danno,” he said, pressing in closer to the man, seeking out his mouth. They shared a kiss for a few moments, Danny relaxing into the embrace. “Danno,” he said again.

“Steven?” Danny intoned, eyes almost mocking.  

“I need you.”

Danny’s eyes darkened immediately with lust. “Prove it.”

Steve surged forward, claiming Danny’s mouth with his own. The heat was almost unbearable after a while, and he pressed Danny into the mattress, moving from mouth to neck to chest, unbuttoning Danny’s shirt as he went. Danny was moaning already, bucking up from the mattress like he could feel himself inside Steve. An idea flashed through his mind.

He threw off his own shirt and set to work on Danny’s pants, bringing down Danny’s boxers with them and revealing his flushed red cock. He finished rolling the pants off Danny’s legs and sat back on his heels to admire his handiwork. Danny propped himself up on his elbows and glanced down at Steve.

“Get lost down there?”

Steve smiled fondly back at him. “Actually, no.” He pushed himself forward once again and grabbed the base of Danny’s cock, pressing his lips softly to the tip and sinking down. Danny nearly shouted in surprise and his hips stuttered forward, but Steve held him tightly down to the bed.

A few bobs of his head and Steve pulled off with a pop, looking back up at Danny. “Is this okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Danny said, slightly out of breath. Steve pressed one hand beneath Danny, circling the tight pucker of nerves nestled in the curve of his ass and pressing a finger in very gently. “Is this okay?”

Danny was silent and still, breathing even deeper now. “Yeah,” he said. “F-Fuck yeah.”

Steve smiled widely and reached for the lube and a condom that had been placed handily on the bedside table from a previous night. He pressed a finger into Danny, fully aware it was their first time doing it this way.

Danny shook apart as he was prepared, whining about how slowly Steve was going. Suddenly, he shot up from the bed, startling Steve.

“Get on the bed, slowpoke,” he whispered, and Steve laughed in confusion but did as he was told. Danny pressed him against the pillows and pumped Steve’s member in his slick grasp, finally rolling the condom on. Then, he straddled Steve and began to lower himself onto his cock.

Steve groaned loudly, the sudden pressure completely unexpected. He knew Danny was impatient but had not prepared for this turn of events. Danny began to move as he adjusted, and Steve closed his eyes in frustration, sure that he would come before he could even do anything for Danny. It was all so much.

 “Steve, god, _Steve_ ”

Danny clenched around him, almost painfully, before pulling off. He hunched down and their lips met messily, Danny suddenly pulling back with a hiss. Steve knew the problem was with his knee in a second, and grabbed hold of Danny’s waist, rolling them carefully over in the wide, wide bed to flip their positions. Danny’s eyes were shining as he cupped his hand behind Steve’s neck and pulled him down for another kiss.

“Should we try again?” Steve bit playfully at his lip and repositioned himself again between Danny’s legs. The other man nodded, eyes still glazed over with lust. This was the longest Steve had ever heard Danny go without talking, except when he was on the mound. To know that Danny was giving this the same amount of calculation and thought he had up there—Steve wanted to put an end to it. He wanted to make Danny _fall apart_.

He didn’t have to wait long. As he moved inside Danny made a sharp noise and whispered his name almost like a prayer. He paused a moment, wanting Danny to give the order, and almost immediately Danny’s hand found his ass and pinched. Steve yelped, surprised, and grinned as Danny’s eyes flashed and his mouth opened around this command: “ _Move_. _”_

Steve fucked Danny with his hands braced on either side of Danny’s head, cataloguing every gasp and groan Danny made that let Steve know he was hitting the right spot. Danny’s own cock was a pulsing heat between them, and when Steve noticed him reaching down to take care of it he thought quickly and grasped Danny by the wrists instead, holding him down. He felt Danny’s cock jump at the loose restraint and watched the ecstasy of the other man unfold. Steve rolled his hips a few more times and suddenly Danny was coming in hot spurts, with not a hand on him. Steve felt Danny tighten impossibly around him and felt his own orgasm milked out of him, slowly and perfectly. He pulled out and fell onto Danny, whose arms came up to wrap around him.

“Fuck,” Danny breathed out shakily. “I love you.”

Steve felt his heart stutter at the words, though he knew they had been spoken aloud before. Never had it felt this real though. He pressed his head to Danny’s neck and breathed his own confession back.

* * *

**Los Angeles, September**

* * *

 

Los Angeles was still hot this time of year, and as they stepped into the stadium Steve felt the heat hit his face in a rush. He sighed happily.

“This is disgusting,” Danny was chattering at his side. “I’m gonna go find the beverage selection, my throat is dry as a ditch, I can barely get a word out!”

“Wouldn’t that be a shame,” Steve laughed, and Danny flipped him the bird and wandered off. Steve resumed his survey of the stadium, his old home turf. It was odd that it felt so foreign to him now.

“What do we have here?”

Steve looked over and saw George Ryans, his old shortstop, and several other players sauntering towards him, their faces grim.

“Hey,” he said, issuing a smile. He hadn’t expected the warmest welcome, but these guys looked…

“Fucking traitor is what we have here, Harris,” Ryans was saying. Steve stepped back as they moved into his space, Ryans swinging an arm out and catching Steve on the shoulder. His thumb pressed tightly into the juncture of Steve’s collarbone.

“Where’s your fucking boyfriend at, traitor?”

“Fuck, Ryans,” Steve swore, throwing off his hand. “When did you get like this?”

“I got like this when you decided to screw your family name away with another team!”

Steve froze, fist clenching in anger. He wasn’t even sure who knew about Danny and him anymore, but apparently word had gotten back to his old team—and they weren’t happy about a lot of it, especially the fact that Steve still wasn’t on their team. Ryans’ face in particular was an ugly shade of purple, no doubt amping up to throwing out an epithet. Steve readied himself for his defense.

Before he could say anything, however, a cool voice cut through the crowd.

“Back up, everyone,” Chin said. “Save this energy for the field, or I’ll make you regret it.”

The players that had gathered grumbled but retreated respectfully, and Steve locked eyes with his old friend.

“Chin!” He said, smiling widely in relief as the other man strolled over to where he stood. Chin looked as happy and healthy as always—Steve had not expected the bitterness of his old teammates, but he had expected a warm welcome back from Chin. Some things would never change.

 “Jesus,” Chin chuckled after they’d had some time to reconnect. “When I made you promise to get along with your new pitcher, I didn’t know you’d be that dedicated.”

Steve smiled fondly. “Believe, me, I’m very dedicated.”

Chin matched his smile and clasped a hand over his shoulder. “It’s good to see you happy, brah. We were good together, but I always knew I couldn’t get you as far as you wanted to go.”

 “I didn’t mind. It wasn’t until I was offered the chance to go that I really thought about leaving. But… I’m glad I went.”

“Anyway,” Steve continued. “Why aren’t you suited up?” Chin spread his hands in a shrug.

“My farewell game was last week,” Chin said. Steve widened his eyes in shock. “I’m moving back to Hawaii.”

“What… what happened?”

Chin laughed. “I got engaged.”

“Oh,” Steve said. “ _Oh_.” He reached for Chin again and gave him a hug. “That’s amazing, brother. I’m happy for you!”

“Her name’s Malia,” Chin said, his face blooming into a fond grin. “She was my PT when I pulled that shoulder muscle a few years ago. We’ve been on and off because of the travelling season but… I’ve had a good long run and I’m ready to be made an honest man.”

Steve wondered at the strength of Chin’s love, that he would give up his still promising career as a pitcher for a woman he had known only a few years. He wondered what would make him do the same. He had the thought that it would probably be Danny. They still had a long way to go, but Steve couldn’t shake the notion that this thing with Danny would change him altogether—and his blood thrummed with excitement.

When he stared down Ryans on the field as their team rounded the winning run, Steve knew that feeling would carry him far.

* * *

**New York, October**

* * *

 

Steve woke one morning, on an off day, to an empty bed and a phone that was vibrating off the bedside table, a sick feeling of dread burgeoning in his stomach. He slammed the answer button on the phone before the line dropped and stated his name.

“Steve,” it was Kono. “Don’t tell me I’m the first to reach you.”

“Kono,” he said, heart in his throat. “What is it? Is it Danny?”

“Steve,” Kono said again. “Danny showed up at the offices this morning and told everyone… he’s going to quit the team.”

Steve shot up from the bed, ran to collect his clothes. “Kono, where is he?”

At her answer, Steve said a quick word of thanks and hung the phone up, dialing Danny’s number. As the line rang and rang, he got dressed and collected his things, running downstairs to grab a cab. He was just flagging one down as Danny’s phone went to voicemail.

“Danno,” he said, surprised to hear his voice sounding so raw. “I’m on my way to you.”

Even before Kono had told him where she suspected he might be, Steve had known Danny would be at the field. If, God forbid, Danny really was quitting the team, he’d be spending every last moment he had in the middle of that titanic stadium. It was a real rival to Steve for Danny’s love, though Gracie was no doubt unaffected.

When Steve arrived, he paid his fare and sprinted for the player’s entrance to the stadium. Sure enough, standing on the pitcher’s mound in the center of the diamond, mid-morning mist only slightly obscuring him from sight, was Danny Williams. Steve’s heart swelled.

“Danny,” he spoke softly, stepping across the damp sand to reach the other man. Danny turned to him, eyes red, voice raw, and said:

“I’m going with her.”

Steve couldn’t feign confusion here, he’d been party to the conversation the night before, Danny spitting in anger as Rachel told him over the phone that her husband—her new husband, the honorable Stan—had accepted a position in Hawaii of all places, and they would be moving there within the month. All three of them-- Rachel, Stan, Gracie.

Steve had held Danny as the man mourned for his daughter, the relationship that already had so much distance weighing on it, threatening to break. They'd resolved to find a solution the next morning, together. Steve hadn't thought he'd wake up to the solution being Danny spiraling out of control, out of his life. 

“Danny…” Steve started, and fell in on the wrong step. Danny whirled at him, face red with anger. 

“You don’t understand!” Danny yelled, his voice painfully hoarse. Steve reached for him but he pulled away. “If I don’t have Grace, I don’t have anything!”

_You have me_ , Steve thought, but he didn’t dare say it. It wasn’t the same, and he knew it.

“There are options, though, Danny. Another team, close to Grace…”

“And if they move me? If Rachel takes her somewhere else? I can’t live like that, constantly in fear she’ll be taken away from me and I won’t be able to follow! If I keep going down this road, one day I’m going to walk up to her and she won’t have any idea who I am! What kind of father would do that to their kid?”

Steve couldn’t help the breath that got caught in his throat. He was surprised how much it hurt, every time a memory of his dad was brought up.

“Jesus, Steve, I didn’t mean—”

“It’s okay,” Steve said. “I mean, what you said makes sense. And I was confused and upset with my father, for so long, for doing that to me. But that’s not going to happen to Grace. She has two people who love her more than the world, and you two aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. You’ll always find a way to come back to her, you would move mountains if you had to. My dad… my dad had other reasons to move mountains.”

Danny stepped closer to him, and Steve took the opportunity to grab hold of him tightly. Danny placed his hands on Steve’s shoulders and Steve’s hands found their way to his face. He brought their foreheads together.

“Listen to me, Danny. If you need to leave, I understand. Just know that I’m not going to forget about you anytime soon, and I wouldn’t leave your side if I didn’t have to.” He brought their lips together, just a touch of reassurance. “You’re the person I would move mountains for.”

“God, Steve,” Danny said, his voice wet with unshed tears. “I can’t ask you to come with me; even if you kept playing you would never be in the position you are now.” He pulled Steve back into another kiss, a deeper one, and they stayed like that until they were short of breath. “You’re destined for great things, Steve McGarrett.”

Steve thought of everything he had worked so hard for; everything his family legacy had been spent on. He looked at the man in front of him, blue eyes sparkling wildly, blonde hair mussed and soft, so soft, figure stout and warm in his hands. He knew that everything he had said was true. He knew that everything he had thought; everything he had felt before Danny came into his life was only a half truth, a shadow of the life he could have been living. He moved his hands down to Danny’s waist, took a step back and took a deep breath.

“Danny Williams,” he said. “I’m done chasing after my father’s dream. From now on, I’m staying at your side, in anything you do. You’re my dream; I think you have been all along.”

Danny inhaled sharply, and for a moment Steve thought he was going to cry, but instead he let out a round of hysterical gasps of laughter, pulling out of Steve’s grasp to clutch at his sides. For a sickening moment, Steve thought this was the end, and his stomach roiled in fear.

“Oh, babe,” Danny said, pulling Steve’s face down to meet his in a kiss. Any hesitation Steven had had went out the window; he met Danny’s passion in turn and nearly melted in their embrace. _Jesus_ , he thought, _I am never going to give this up_.

* * *

**Hawaii, December**

* * *

 

Steve’s flight out of New Jersey had nearly been delayed by the threat of snow, but up until his plane left the tarmac the sky was bright and sunny. Steve wanted to laugh at the thought that just as he was ready to leave the miserable cold of an East Coast winter, Mother Nature changed her designs.

He was off to warmer places, though.

Danny met him at the Honolulu International Airport, holding a cheesy sign that had clearly been decorated by an overly creative Grace—for one _Uncle Steve_. Steve embraced Danny tightly—nearly two months separation had been difficult, but it was all over now, and worth it if this is what he had to look forward to.

“You want to go anywhere, Mr. Local?” Danny said, as they pulled out of airport parking. Danny had been teasing him constantly, needling out the finest tourist spots to take Grace on his weekends. Steve didn’t mind, of course, only looked forward to the days when he would get to join them.

“Actually, yeah,” he said, making up his mind about something suddenly. “Can you take a left a little up here?”

Danny followed his directions, chattering away about the obscene size of Stan’s house on the island and how paltry his apartment seemed in comparison. Steve chewed his lip, anxious to tell Danny about his own living arrangements; he had been able to put a payment in on his own childhood home, where some of his fondest memories were. He wouldn’t ask Danny to move in with him immediately, of course, but with a few renovations and some time to grow comfortable with each other and the idea, he knew Danny would be very happy there too.

Danny’s chatter slowed as he realized where they were heading, and as he pulled up to the cemetery’s parking lot, he grew silent altogether. Steve smiled supportively at him.

“You don’t have to come with,” Steve said. “I just figured my first stop at the island should be to say hello to…” he trailed off, a little embarrassed at the fondness in Danny’s eyes.

“I understand completely, babe. I’d be honored to tag along if you’d have me.”

Steve suddenly remembered meeting Danny all those months ago, how it all began with another invitation to meet family. He found himself laughing, and Danny’s smile grew as well, though he probably hadn’t clued in on what Steve found so funny.

“What is it, babe?” Danny asked, coming around to Steve’s side of the car and reaching for his hand. Steve grasped it and squeezed gently.

“I’m just really glad to be here right now, and I never thought I would be.” He never thought he could be this happy, not with the childhood he had had, not with the fool’s dream of becoming his own father. This was an infinitely happier future than he had ever imagined for himself.

They stepped through the gates together, eager to tell his mom—and his father—all that he had learned this year about life outside the diamond.


End file.
